So you want to create your own website. You will know that this requires you to have a domain name, which requires a web hosting account. But with so many out there, offering various levels of service and support, it can be a nightmare finding one that is the best for your personal needs and the best value for money.

The first thing to be considered is whether this website will be for personal use, or business/commercial purposes.  If it is for personal use, it is worth considering the use of Squidoo Lens or a blog via a blog hosting site such as WordPress.com, both of which are free to use , and save money which doesn’t need to be spent on web hosting. If you are wanting your own domain that you have complete creative control over, then webhosting is worth looking into.  There are plenty of reasonable webhosting packages that can suit individual needs, and some are even free, although you do only get what you pay for. To find the best package for your needs, you will need to consider the following:

Do they offer the option of paying monthly/annually?

How long is the ‘contract’?

Is there a money back guarantee?

How many domains can you host?

Does the package include a domain already?

How many databases can you have?

How much bandwidth can you have?

How much disk space can you have?

How fast/reliable is the service?

Do you want hosting for Windows or Linux?

Is there an upgrade path in the event of your site becoming extremely busy?

Does the Control Panel cater to all your needs and more?

How good is the support service provided (Check reviews on independent forums)?

Remember it is easy to become a webhosting “reseller”, meaning anyone could sell website hosting packages.  Beware of buying from a “reseller” of webhosting, as although they may provide the service via a larger operation, they personally will be responsible for pricing and support, which can often cause issues and be very unreliable.

HostGator are a highly recommended and popular choice in the webhosting world, being one of the top 10 hosting providers.  They have been around since 2002 and are highly reputable and reliable, and are perfect if you want to host a WordPress powered site, as they work perfectly together. 

Software piracy is bad news for everyone in our industry, taking business away from legitimate resellers and compromising customers with low-quality or corrupted products. Here at Microsoft, we continue to take strong action against software cheats, protecting honest customers and retailers from substandard, dangerous and corrupted copies.

To ensure you don’t get entangled in this dangerous game, we have produced this guide to provide all the information you need to avoid pirated software and the risks it carries – whether you’re selling the occasional refurbished PC or regularly fulfilling large orders for enterprise-level customers.

WHAT CAN YOUR CUSTOMERS DO TO AVOID COUNTERFEIT SOFTWARE?
It is our collective responsibility to ensure every customer has genuine software. If they’re using counterfeit software without knowing, poor performance means they may form a poor opinion of Microsoft and our Partners. These tips should help you guide them in purchasing genuine

Microsoft software.

• Customers should compare the price they have found online with a reputable or well-known reseller. If the price is £10 cheaper, they should be cautious.

• Check there is a genuine UK phone number and postal address on the reseller’s website.

• Buy from a genuine reseller. 

REPORTING PIRACY

No one wants to lose business to unauthorised software use, especially in these tough economic times. Every time an unlicensed copy is sold or used you lose licence revenue, service revenue and cross-sell opportunities with that customer.

If you know of someone in your area who is selling unlicensed or counterfeit software, report it. We can only bring down the level of counterfeiting activity with the right knowledge and information. Send any details to ukpiracy@microsoft.com 

5 GOOD REASONS YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS AN IT AUDIT

“IT Audit” sounds bad, like hard work, & something you wouldn’t sign up for. But an IT Audit is not like a tax department audit where the HMRC check your records and punish you for your mistakes.

If done correctly, an audit of the technology in your small business should be quick and painless and yield you with some valuable information. They are about saving you pain & preventing problems.

Here are our top 5 reasons why your business would benefit from a technology audit:

1. Find immediate areas for improvement – If you’re thinking of replacing your computer, an audit may reveal that upgrading the memory would give you a significant performance boost. It could also highlight incorrect system settings or poor security configurations that could easily be fixed. With a clear picture of what technology you have, it might be easy to find some quick, inexpensive areas for improvement.

2. Budget for longer-term areas of improvement – An audit may reveal out-dated hardware that should be replaced with newer, faster components. It could also highlight disks that are close to their capacity, but still have some spare space. You can then plan and budget to address these areas in the future, instead of having to react tomorrow to an unforeseen full disk.

3. Know what software is on your computers – If your employees are able to install software onto your computers, do you know what they have been installing? An audit will reveal if your computers have illegal file sharing software or other programs that may be relevant to their hobbies, not their work (e.g. share trading).

4. Know you have the correct software licenses – In some cases, it is a software manufacturer’s right to randomly audit your business and check that you have the correct license number and the right kind of license for their software. If you’ve taken on more staff since you started, or you’ve had employees installing software on your computers, an audit can reveal where your software licensing might need some attention.

5. Compile an asset register – Your business will have certain assets listed for accounting purposes. That audit may not include many of your IT devices that are under a certain monetary value. If a theft or natural disaster hit your business, wouldn’t it be great to have a full list of all of your technology components? Ask your I.T. guy to store a copy of your audit results, off site, in case you need to refer to that asset list to make an insurance claim.

The outcomes of your audit should be a comprehensive list of your I.T. assets and recommendations for improvement that fit in with your business plans (both short and long term). If your I.T. guy uses your audit as an opportunity to sell as much of his products and services as he can, call Dove Computer Solutions for an independent trusted second opinion.

Using a wonderfully simple iPad app called EasySign. Allows one to capture signatures on documents and images. You can set your own signature and up to two client signatures. Save it as a PDF and then email or sync with DropBox.

Rigged up a Corsair 120GB SSD with 12GB of DDR3 memory + Intel i5 2500 2nd generation processor. Wow, the results were: 20 seconds to startup Windows 7, less than a minute to install Office 2010 Pro and multiple windows opening in a second. Now that’s quick! Pimp your computer with Dove.

The upward climb of cybercrime is proof that your data is in demand - be it from hackers, phishers or malware.

While internet-related crime poses the biggest risk, your data is also exposed when it is not only offline, but also outside of your computer. The insecure disposal of old hard disks, USB memory sticks and even CDs could be putting your data, your business and your bank account on the line.

The solution is a simple one: destroy your data before you take your old computer to the recycling centre or sell it on eBay. Here are our top five ways to do just that.


1. Overwrite it
2. Smash it up
3. Demagnetise it
4. Disc destruction
5. Purge your printer

Introduction video to our sister company, Dove Internet - Web Media Agency.

Find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/dovecomputers.

Dove Computer Solutions Ltd

Your computer has a 1/3 chance of being infected by a virus this year!
In today’s computer environment viruses are everywhere, with an estimated 1/10 websites infected. Follow some simple tips to minimise the risk of viruses slowing down your system or destroying your data.

1.    Install Quality Antivirus Software
Only 63% of computers are protected by basic virus protection.  It’s worth investing in quality anti-virus software as free versions typically don’t provide adequate protection. Keep it up to date to ensure you have the latest protection available. It is best to use just one program as multiple programs can often conflict with each other.

2.    Regularly Scan
Set up your anti-virus program to regularly scan your system, ideally daily. Also schedule automatic downloads of the latest versions to avoid ‘forgetting’ to update and compromising your system.

3.    Disable Autorun
Often viruses are designed to attach to USB sticks or external hard drives. These can then corrupt any computer they are plugged into. Disable autorun so that your anti-virus software can scan these devices before they are opened on your computer.

4.    Beware of Email Links and Attachments
Although you cannot infect your computer simply by opening an email, viruses can be hidden inside attachments and links. It is estimated ¼ emails sent on the internet contain malicious code. Always scan potential threats using antivirus software and navigate manually to a website instead of clicking on links.

5.    Surf Safe
Avoid entering personal or financial information on pages where you have not manually entered the web address. Often viruses are hidden in links which will take you to sites that are designed to imitate the real thing. Always enter websites manually rather than opening them from an email.


If you believe you have a virus or have any questions, contact us at Dove Computer Solutions on 01335 81 80 81 or visit our website to find out more www.dovecomputers.com